Limitations on the available sustainability data for stocks in Robo-Advisor portfolios
Only some companies are obliged to provide data on how their activities affect various sustainability factors.
Currently, this obligation applies to:
- Financial market participants
- Listed companies
- Certain state and municipal companies
- Some public service providers that have over 500 employees
Increasingly, other companies are encouraged to also provide sustainability information on a voluntary basis. Accordingly, the assessment of whether the investment is sustainable and/or has some negative impact on sustainability factors is made taking into account the availability, extent, and quality of available and relevant information on the investee companies’ sustainability practices.
The sustainability requirements arising from Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (the Taxonomy Regulation) and the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, the SFDR) apply within the European Union. Regulations in other countries (e.g. USA, UK) may not be harmonised and fully aligned with the EU requirements, leading to varying interpretations of sustainable investments.
As a result, the understanding of ESG investments and related sustainability practices may differ significantly between these jurisdictions and the EU.